Request for resources and advice

Memo
To: Anti-sweatshop activists and researchers
From: Robert J. S. Ross, Clark University
CC:
Date: January 5, 2000
Re: Corporate Research/ Information and Advice Sought
I am writing to seek your assistance and advice.  Below I outline
research I am asking a class to do, and at the end I ask you for help
and advice.  This memo is also attached in somewhat more readable MS
Word document.

For the Spring Semester, 2000 I am teaching a basic course on inequality
(Class, Status and Power).  As part of the work for that course I will
assign a research project in which students  will do corporate research
on the makers of campus logo clothing.   Each student will choose one
question and one firm.
The questions are these
1) What is the corporate parent and structure of the firm?
a) Who owns whom?
b) How much does the division making campus apparel contribute to
overall revenue of the parent?
c) How much of campus apparel is made in owned factories v. contractor
locations?
i) In the US or abroad
d) Who and where are the contractors?
2) Who are the members of the Board of Directors of the Parent firm?
a) How many (and which ones) fit G. William Domhoff's criteria for
membership in the "Upper Class".
b) On which other corporate boards do Parent firm Board members serve?
c) In which civic or political groups are they active.
d) Do any meet the criteria set by Michael Useem as members of the
"Inner Circle"?
3) What is the public record compensation of the executives?
a) How does executive compensation compare to average pay of clothing
workers?
b) Have any of the contractors to the firms ever been found in violation
of labor law?
The firms are these:
?Champion
?Russell Athletic
?Jansport.
?Gear for Sports
THE QUESTIONS TO READERS OF THIS MEMO.
1. Do you think other or different firms should be chosen;  if so,
which?  I do not have a definitive list of the largest makers of college
insignia apparel.  If readers of this memo do, I'd appreciate the source
and the list.
2. Can you suggest resources for answering these questions?  I may have
missed something you know about.
3. Other comments?

BTW:  Sing to the tune "YMCA" :  "Bye Y2K, Bye Y2K"

--
Robert J.S. Ross, Ph.D                                 508 793 7376
Professor of Sociology                      fax: 508 793 8816
Clark University
Mailto:Rross@clarku.edu
950 Main Street
Http://Www.clarku.edu/~rross
Worcester, MA 01610

reourcerequestMemo.doc